Bon Hansen imagines fashion as a canvas for stripped emotions and creative evolution in “Pagkatao“
To dress is to form; clothing sculpts the body, enhances the physique, and magnifies expression and emotion. Through the prism of his own creative evolution, Bon Hansen reexamines the transforming silhouettes at the heart of his brand, hansen, and refines the concept with Pagkatao for BENCH Fashion Week Holiday 2024. The collection is intricate in their structure yet easy to wear in their practice, all the while embodying the designer‘s personal experiences that are fundamental to his philosophy.
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Owner of his eponymous contemporary menswear brand, Hansen is building his momentum of fresh and unique stories with his designs. Bon Hansen’s signature touch of deconstructed tailored pieces shows his capability and command as a Filipino artist in the fashion scene. But Pagkatao goes beyond the techniques that originally earned Hansen his position as the doyenne of crafting distinct menswear—combining masculine and feminine elements, balancing light and heavy textures and fabrics, and incorporating splashes of color.
“Pagkatao for me is feeling every human emotion—love, anger, everything that is human. I love the idea of conveying a story of freedom, liberation, and acceptance in this collection,” Hansen describes to MEGA.
The designer’s tailoring and suitwork are transformed into shapes that design and elevate the language of the body. The shoulders of blazers, jackets, and vests extend into sharp and clean lines or widen into sloping curves. Trousers, shorts, and skirts take shape through relaxed and sculptured cuts that shape the lower body. Deconstructed ternos with one sleeve is an unfamiliar silhouette, exaggerating the its asymmetrical look.
With deliberate irregularities in shape, length, and placement of elements, the use of distressed textiles infuses a sense of history or a lived-in quality into the garment, leaning further into the Pagkatao aspect. This approach is also embodied in the clothing’s form, as he creates oversized pieces, experimenting with unconventional arrangements of volume, or intentionally alter, skew, or transform garments to challenge established fashion conventions and generate a unique visual impact.
Drawing inspiration from the 2000 film Markova: Comfort Gay starring comedy star Dolphy, Hansen shares, “There were some pivotal and visually striking scenes [in the movie] that I’m inspired by for this collection. The movie was sentimental to me growing up; it’s one of the most memorable films I’ve watched as a gay kid, so it’s relevant and personal to me.”
Pagkatao, then, felt deeply personal, as if Hansen was returning to his core memories after a few years of experimenting. It’s for those who’ve historically felt excluded from fashion, and now have found or carved their own place in the conversation.
“I consider myself as a minimalist designer, but I believe my creative process evolves through time,” Hansen continues to say. “For Pagkatao, I tried something new outside of my comfort zone. For example, all my works in the past have always been blacks or something neutral because I’m afraid of color. So in this collection, it was challenging adding colors for the first time; I tried my best to deliver something I’m not good at.”
Hansen is a designer who uses fashion as a vehicle and canvas for novelty and forward movement; he is part of the artistic vanguard within the industry that believes handicraft and design is an acquired artisanal talent—if you have the patience and discipline for it: “ believe every artist should evolve,” he declares. “And as a technical designer, I must understand and realize that there’s more to know. It doesn’t stop at one point—I need to go to a different trajectory and to challenge my creativity. I really love challenges.”
Bon Hansen is a name to note. He manages to evolve each season, but never lets go of unique craft that began his brand in the first place.
